Today I begin shooting Mnemosyne. I will now not update the site until the shoot is over, as I feel it would be unprofessional to publish my thoughts on the progress of the project until it is finished. I expect to wrap up shooting in late August, which is when the next update will appear. I will continue to write my production diary as I go, and then I will upload it when photography ends.

MNEMOSYNE COST
Item	Cost
Crew Food: Days 1 and 2	£20
Crew Travel: Days 1 and 2	£60
Equipment Hire: Days 1 and 2	£80
Total to date:	£270

I travelled back to Chatham today to pick up the Canon XM2 (GL2). On the way, I stopped off at David Lawrence Lighting. I spoke with David about the shopping list my Director Of Photography had given me, and he did me a really good deal. I also picked up some black-out card and Gaffer tape.

MNEMOSYNE COST
Item	Cost
Lighting Gels, etc.	£30
Total to date:	£110

I spoke with David Lawrence today of David Lawrence Lighting. His firm caters for low-budget filmmakers at very reasonable prices!! He was also full of tips for cheap ways to work around budget restrictions, such as sticking tin foil to foam board to make a cheap reflector. I arranged to meet up with him on Friday.

In other news, I also got a make-up artist on board today, so now I have my full crew!

Things are starting to get really hectic as we approach the first day of the shoot.

I spent £80 on DV tapes and DAT tapes today. They should last us for the entire production. I also am planning to not rent a VX2000 as I originally intended, but instead buy an XM2 (GL2) and then sell it after the shoot.

The first weekend wil give me 9 hours of coverage for the first 4 pages of the script. I envisage 7 camera set-ups for the interior shots in David's flat.

As I go, I will keep count of the budget so everyone can see how much this is costing. I won't add the XM2's cost on, though. I will only add on the loss from sale when the shoot is over. The sound kit will cost £20 a day to hire. The Lighting kit plus a wide angle lense and tripod will also be £20.

MNEMOSYNE COST
Item	Cost
DV/DAT Tapes	£80
Total to date:	£80

The DV camera capable of getting a film look is actually available in PAL format. I don't know how long it's actually been available for, but I had to ring around a lot of numbers before I had it confirmed.

Here are two recommended dealers from Panasonic:

1. Altered Images - 0208 5684466
2. Metro Broadcast: 0207 2022000

The list price is £3195+VAT (Sickening when you think you can get it for $3195 dollars in the US (shame about the fact its NTSC over there)). Anyway, here is a great review. Also check out this DVX100 links page.

For those of you that have read the script, the actors who will be playing the five roles in the film are:

• DAVID: Gareth Howells
• GRAHAM: Scott Ainslie
• DR JENNINGS: Giles Foreman
• DAVID'S MOTHER: Juliet Forester
• MARY: Fiona Sendon-Smith

Principal photography to begin Saturday 12-Jul-03.

I am still having problems with one location, but find out today if I can get a back-up. Basically the doctors surgery I planned to use looks like it has fallen through. This is because the guy who gave me permission seemed to be under the impression my crew and I would turn up, sit our actor down, and film during a 'relatively quiet' period of the day. He didn't seem to grasp that we needed to film out of hours and that it wasn't just going to be a quick affair - lights need to be set up, and a number of takes would be needed. Fortunately my father drives a bunch of doctors around in my home town of Chatham as a part-time job, so he's enquiring to find out if we can film there; I will know today hopefully.

I arrived back from the U.S. on the 29-Jun-03. The last few days were spent battling jet-lag and trying to formulate a schedule, which was completed today and sent out to the cast. Having spoken to the actors, it seems that filming is likely to stretch into late August.

Today I heard back from the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation, regarding a suite I asked to use for my film. The good news is they have agreed to let me use it. It's a high floor in the town centre that we won't actually film in, but instead film from. I need it to get some high shots down onto the town centre. Today I fly out to the U.S. on holiday, so I leave the U.K. today with great news.

Today I began writing my rejection letters to the actors who didn't get the roles they had read for. It's horrible, and the only thing I have really hated having to do with regards to this film so far. I guess I feel bad because everyone was so talented, but as one actor said to me: 'Don't worry about it Mike, you get used to it being an actor'. I tried to handle the auditions and the casting in the same way I wish I was treated when I started applying for jobs fresh out of university. There were times when companies would be rude, or inconsiderate, and it was most anoying when nobody would tell you where you stood. I am now ready for a nice break in the U.S. starting tomorrow, which will be a much needed break before the filming begins. I also put a post in ShootingPeople today for my crew. I am looking for a Boom Operator, Sound Recordist and a Director of Photography.

Today was great. Had three actors journey up to see me in Letchworth from London. They all said they were prepared to make the journey because they thought the script was worth it. All three put in excellent performances; one of which - from a chap named 'Mike' - ended with a round of applause from myself, Hakan and another one of the actors. The same guy had a very 'Bruce Campbell' edge to him, and I think he would make a great lead for a feature because of his presence.

The last audition was an actor named Steve who was able to stay in Letchworth until almost 11pm and ended up having a really interesting discussion with myself and Hakan. He told us that Sam Mendez (American Beauty director), who originally came from a theatre background, boned up on film directing simply by getting lots of DVDs by his favourite directors, and studying the commentary.

When Steve left I stayed up and watched the footage from all the auditions and provisionally agreed with Hakan who I would cast.

A total of fourteen actors were booked to come to casting today. Of these, 12 turned up, with an extra person meeting me in the pub afterwards as they were in London. 1 Person cancelled for another date, and the other never showed up.

There were problems with the rail networks, so for the first 45 minutes noone had turned up and I was starting to sweat a bit. Luckily, this was the only blip of the day, and actors began filtering through.

The quality of acting skills was generally of a very high quality. They totally trumped the Amateur Dramatics people I had worked with before, but this was no surprise, as this was a livelihood as opposed to a hobby.

I have one more casting day on 11-Jun-03, and will then let the actors know who has been successful and who hasn't. They were all so good that I would love to work with them at some point.

My assistant director, Hakan Besim, was also very impressed. Hakan himself was brilliant on the day, and allowed me to focus on actors without needing to concern myself with filming and timing.

A special mention must go to my friend Dan Oram, who - in addition to making tea all day - allowed me to use his flat in West Hampstead to save the actors the hassle of travelling to Letchworth.

I asked every actor how they thought we had done, given that it was our first audition. Some said that they could tell because we were so 'nice', but generally they were quite impressed. We did get some feedback and constructive criticism which will help us in the future. We came away with the following paradigm for casting:

1. Send the script ahead of time
2. Give thorough and helpful directions to the auditions
3. Provide as many contact details as you can
4. Consider allowing the actors to choose a reading segment from the film that they feel will help them perform best
5. Have refreshments on hand (tea, coffee, etc)
6. Give actors an opportunity to bring showreels, etc
7. Ensure actors are relaxed and comfortable
8. Ask their permission to film them during the audition
9. If you have permission, do an IDENT (They introduce themselves plus their character)
10. Be honest about the limitations of the project
11. Ask them about their thoughts on the character they will play
12. Explain why the project might benefit them
13. Check actors availability for when you plan to shoot
14. Give them an opportunity to ask questions
15. Remember actors don't like directors who are arrogant/condescending
16. Let the actors know when they can expect to hear from you

Today I got news that a composer by the name of Stephen Hoper was happy to help out with the composition for the music for Mnemosyne. I got hold of Stephen's demo CD from Kevin Gates, and was blown away by the beautiful surreal/dreamy quality of the tracks. I contacted him, and he said he loved the script to Mnemosyne (being a big Lynch fan himself) and would be happy to help. If anyone is interested in contacting Stephen, click here.

I had a mail from DK to inform me that the radio interview I gave was broadcast last weekend, and is now available here. It was as part of a programme looking at people making the most of DV technology.

It took a total of five drafts, but Mnemosyne was finally completed this month. I have registered it with Raindance so that no one can steal my work. You can read the final draft, plus the DVD Extra here. The DVD extra is there so that people who don't understand Mnemosyne can find out what was really going on.

I sent a post to ShootingPeople.Org for the four main cast members and have received an overwhelming response. I plan to conduct a day of casting on June 8th, and then another after my trip to the USA around July 5th. I will upload the various drafts of Mnemosyne in the next few weeks and include a commentary from all the scipt supervisors.

I chopped all the dialogue from Mnemosyne into the relevant locations, and calculated how much time will be needed at each; I thus can produce a production schedule within the next week. The film reached a fourth draft, and is now is 99.9% complete. I am waiting for Stuart Folley, a work colleague of mine, to get back to me on whether I can use his friend's farm for one of the final locations - the result of this could impact the schedule, but whatever happens, this film will happen soon! I have a location agreed in Croydon, London which I am due to scout out in person next week - all in all, things are moving along nicely. Once the script has been copyrighted by Raindance, I will upload all four drafts. Once production is complete, I will then upload the entire production planning documents. And, of course, when the film is finished, it will be available to download or buy on DVD (I am only going to charge postage and packaging, as the 'making of' material is my gift to all filmmakers out there).

I also received a question from a reader about filmmaking codes of conduct today, so I have uploaded the following guide: Bath Film Office Code Of Practice. I definitely recommend this.

There's nothing like a good thunderstorm to help the tension along in a horror film. Last night Kevin Gates and I experimented with some of his footage already shot for his film, The Unseen, to create lightning. All we did was change the contrast and brightness and it looked beautiful. The footage had first been captured in the 'day for night' method, which basically involves shooting on an over-cast day and not showing the sky. One then also changes the camera setting to Tungsten (or set white balance indoor if you don't have this setting) to give a moonlight blue to everything. Kev is working on producing an MPEG for me to upload to show the finished result...

Also worth mentioning is that I have finished the third draft of my 15-20 minute film, 'Mnemosyne'. I STILL have not posted on ShootingPeople, as I want the script as perfect as possible before I go ahead and show it to actors. I have a DP (Director of Photography) on board the project, and am looking to secure a sound recordist before I go on holiday in June. The shoot of the film has been moved back to July because of my trip to the USA.

I wrapped up two locations today for the shoot of 'Mnemosyne'. I have begun work on the third draft, and my target is to not only finish it by the end of the week, but also to complete a list of locations and dialogue sequences (which of course I will post when the film is complete) so that I can work out how much time will be required in each location, thus yielding my shooting schedule.

Today I gave my first radio interview. It was with DK, Denmark's equivalent of the British Broadcasting Service. I will post a link to an audio file when one exists, but be warned, it is likely to have Danish narration over the top! I talked mainly about how things have been going for the last 18 months since the site took off, and my intentions for the future.

I also spoke to Dan Brockett, after reading his latest article on the HHB MDP-500 Professional MiniDisc Recorder. I asked him about another MiniDisc Recorder, called the TASCAM MD350 , which retails for around £350 in the UK. Dan said that this was an excellent machine, and usable to record sound for low-budget films. I recommend that everyone should read Dan's article, though - it is very interesting.

Today I spoke with Hakan about organising a shoot-out between Mini-Disc, miniDV and DAT recording for low-budget films. The DAT will obviously be able to accept XLR inputs, whilst the other two will rely upon a BeachBox. Should be able to do this by mid-May.

A wide variety of sound situations will be used as there are a numebr of things I wish to highlight with this test. MiniDisc ATRAC compression, for example, falls down in certain situations but is okay for dialogue.

I found some very good sites on MiniDisc recording today. I also learned there is a new format of minidisc called NetMD which has a USB interface so that tracks can be transferred digitally from PC to MiniDisc (but not the other way, as of yet). The best player I found is the Sony MZ-N150 . Readers outside the UK will be able to pick up more models at a cheaper price, but for all UK readrs, this is a great deal at £130.